What Manga are you reading?

[Cadence]

I recently read a fabulous seinen one shot by Toyada Tetsuya (mangaka of Undercurrent) called GOGGLE. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommended.

[Atria35]

I recently read a fabulous seinen one shot by Toyada Tetsuya (mangaka of Undercurrent) called GOGGLE. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommended.

Ooooo! I liked Undercurrent, I shall be checking this out!

[blkmage]

Started Sengoku Youso, which is by the same guy as The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer. This one's set in ancient Japan and involves youkai, but still involves crazy awesome people. I am looking forward to great things.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Finished The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer. There is so much goodness to this manga that I could talk about.

Let's start with the fights, since they're a fairly important part. The early ones are pretty simple, with Amamiya trying not to die and waiting for Sami to destroy the golem. It's not until, what, the fourth golem that he even learns he's capable of damaging one of them? Even then, there's a certain charm to Amamiya trying to stop being the load or whatever. But anyways, as the series progresses, the golems gain a certain edge to them. Each one is a huge threat that our heroes must pit all their powers against to fight, with each fight having a feeling of desperation as we really have to wonder if they can actually pull out from this one. This isn't written by Tomino, but not every character is going to make it out of this. Each new golem is a legitimate threat that has to be overcome by our heroes as they try and make this desperate stand. It takes everyone putting out as much power as they can for this golem to die.

Second is the characters. I would go pick a favorite, but each of them has worked their way into my heart and I really liked all of them. As I mentioned before, even though there wasn't a high death count for the series, each death did affect me because I loved all of these characters so much. Amamiya, Sami, Yayoi, Shimaki, both Shinonomes, Nagumo, all of these and the rest had struggles they dealt with and ultimately turned out to be really awesome.

Thirdly, the conclusion is one of the best I've ever seen or read. I was a bit hesitant about starting this series, as there's a reason I haven't watched End of Evangelion, but the ending was absolutely fantastic.

So, definitely a 10/10 and knocking down Yotsuba&! to the third spot as it becomes my second favorite manga.

"I don't know what's going on there but it's awesome."

[Atria35]

....Okay, okay! Bicuit Hammer is next on my to-read list! Y'know.... after I finish FruBa. It sounds too good to pass up!

In any case, Special A 4

[Blacklight]

Read Fullmetal Alchemist volumes 18 and 19 today. I forgot again which volume of InuYasha I left off of, so, it will be a bit before I get back to reading it. I also read Soul Eater volume 1 recently... enough. (And FMA 17 around the same time.)

[mysngoeshere56]

Going to catch up on D.N.Angel, so I'm re-reading it from the beginning. Almost through the first volume.

[christianfriend]

I'm currently reading the series "From Far Away"! Read volumes 1-8 so far I love these books so much, the main characters Noriko and Izark are so cute!

[crusader88]

Chrono Crusade! It's about as Christian as manga gets, astral lines notwithstanding. I saw the anime first, then got all 8 volumes of the manga at a bargain. This is the image from the cover to volume 4.

[Atria35]

Lovely Complex 10-11- I'm reaching the end stage! Only 5 more vols. to go! And what a story this has become!

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Tista by Tatsuya Endo Complete.

As I'd finished Biscuit Hammer and needed something new to read, I scoured a couple of my friends' MALs to see what would be a good choice for something short but not awful. Coming across one title on Fish's MAL, I was interested by its decent score and length of two volumes, and decided to check it out. This ultimately was a good but not great read, partially hampered by the short length, though it doesn't have a 'bring on the sequel' feel to it, the conclusion wraps everything up.

Basically, this teenageish to early twenties girl acts as an assassin for the Catholic church, killing corrupt officials and other criminals.

[MangaRocks!]

As mentioned elsewhere, I came across CAA a few months ago as I was just starting to really get into anime and manga, but I only actually joined as a member very recently. So, as with my anime post in the "what are you watching?" thread, I guess I'll just list them all (though, yikes-- I thought my anime one had an epic length, but looking over what I've typed up now, this turned out to be even more massive! My apologies again, everyone {I'm really not trying to spam... }).

Er, in order of when I first started reading them...


My first manga was D.N.Angel (1-13 so far). I don't recall how or why I had chosen that one to start out with, but I'm glad I did, as I liked it immediately (and, indeed, as you can see from my footer it's still one of my favorites so far). It's got a fun premise, an interestingly tangled knot of relationships, some great magical-fantasy mythology [spoiler](artworks with souls, etc.),[/spoiler] and, really, other than a couple of scenes that are in there for the sole purpose of messing with your mind (if you've read it, you know what I mean -- but, thankfully, that's all they are), it's just good.


Via a recommendation from my best friends, I then read Fruits Basket, a.k.a. Furuba (complete). And this-- oh man... I could fill up an entire post on this alone! There's definitely a reason that it still is (and, in fact, likely always will be) my #1 favorite manga. First, there's the main character, who is absolutely amazing-- she just pours light and hope and life into everyone around her, no matter what. So, when she comes into contact with this big extended family of generationally-cursed (and thus, at this point, pretty seriously screwed-up ) people, the effect-- though it takes all 23 volumes, of course -- is truly awesome. Add to that the fact that (despite their large number) all of the characters, complete with their personalities, mental states, emotions, relationships, and etc., are fleshed out extremely well and are very believable (even the outrageous ones); the drama is (at times) fairly intense; the humor (while occasionally including some slightly inappropriate dialogue) is (still) absolutely hilarious ; and the finale is so emotional and so perfectly beautiful that it left me both speechless and in tears (in a VERY good way!!)... and there you have my reason. In terms of fiction (manga or regular novels), I can honestly say that this is one of the best things I have ever read.


After this, my best friends also recommended Fullmetal Alchemist (1-24 so far), which is now another one of my top favorite manga (#3, in fact ). It has a great concept, awesome characters, and an equally-excellent, complex plot, complete with plenty of humor and plenty more fairly-intense action. I can't wait for the last few volumes! (June, please come quickly!)


I then discovered Bakuman (1-3 so far), which is actually a manga about creating manga. As you'd expect, it contains a lot of (actually pretty interesting) behind-the-scenes stuff about the industry and just about every aspect of how manga is made-- though fictionalized, of course-- along with some clever meta-humor here and there. (And it does have a fairly interesting story, as well. )


Kimi ni Todoke (1-7 so far) was next. It's a very clean, sweet and innocent romance series, and since I don't know what else I can really say about it that hasn't already been said elsewhere, I'll just say that it's really great (and obviously, from my footer, also one of my favorites)!


...Unfortunately, however, the next one I chose to read-- Shinobi Life (1-6)-- was basically the opposite. This is the first (and, so far, only) manga that I've dropped. I read it out of curiosity when I saw its concept-- ninjas and constant, random back-and-forth time travel is something that could have been done really well and entertainingly... but, unfortunately, this wasn't. There were quite a number of reasons for this: For one, the content really bugged me [spoiler](there were a lot of unnecessary, inappropriate situations; the two main characters seemed like they were about to... well, you-know-what at any time (and indeed they pretty much almost did once, though they were interrupted before it got that far ); and another relationship started feeling like it was heading towards yaoi...! ).[/spoiler] And, on top of that, it was just simply not written all that well. A lot of stuff that occurred was really contrived, and would have been totally unnecessary had the writing been good enough. So yeah, I was definitely NOT pleased with this one.


Moving quickly away from that , I turned to the boards and discovered Muhyo & Roji's Bureau Of Supernatural Investigation (complete) via the "Monthly Readership Circle" thread (thanks Fish and Chips!). Aside from just a few typical scattered inappropriate jokes and instances of fanservice-for-'humor', and the fact that [spoiler](...well, apart from showing one character's promotion, and confirming who likes who)[/spoiler] there wasn't a whole lot of need for the last 3 volumes, it was an enjoyable read (if you're okay with stories focused on ghosts and other supernatural stuff, of course). Its art style was fairly unique, and its well-done magic-law concept was fairly unique, too. So, while I probably won't end up buying this, it was worth a read via the library.

((continued below...))

[MangaRocks!]

((continued from above...))

Dengeki Daisy (1-3 so far): Okay, I'll admit it-- this is a fair bit edgier than the other series I like (mostly in terms of the dialogue, along with a few bits of humor, etc.), but there's something about it that has kept me reading anyway. Maybe it's the intriguing computer-hacker premise; or maybe it's the mystery behind [spoiler]the conspiracy to acquire whatever program the main character's brother had created; or maybe it's the curiosity of just what actually went down with her brother and Daisy in the first place that burdened Daisy with such guilt (yeah, I know what he said at the end of the first vol.-- but how exactly did that happen?); etc.[/spoiler] And I also have to admit that its slightly twisted romcom element has been fairly amusing, as well. So, while (because of its verbal and thematic edginess) I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, I'm personally going to keep on following it for now.


Death Note (complete): Man, this is another one I could say so much about (it's my #2 favorite manga). Supernatural Mystery Thriller that it is, my favorite way of describing it is that it's like Sherlock Holmes on supernatural steroids-- and with the bad guy as the protagonist! The good guys are awesome, the battle of wits is utterly, addictingly genius, and the writing is nothing short of brilliant all-around-- which, quite literally, made it the most mentally-stimulating thing that I have read in a long, long time (...possibly ever).


I also then read DN's prequel novel, Death Note: Another Note - The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. This was written as more of a conventional-style detective story, though it does feature an interesting choice for the narrator, there are still some supernatural elements, and-- really-- anything with L in it can't be all that conventional anyway! [spoiler]It also features one of those twists that completely flip everything you were thinking about what you had just read on its head, which are marvelous when done right-- and this one was![/spoiler] It's not quite at the same level as the manga series, of course , but it is very good (and includes some really great little extra tidbits about L's personality, too), so I'd definitely recommend that anyone who has read the manga, or anyone who is going to read the manga, read this afterwards.


Juvenile Orion (complete): Well... this one was okay, but it could have been better. Granted, I had no previous experience with the Aquarian Age game(s) or storyline(s) whatsoever (and still don't, aside from this manga), so I was probably missing a bit there story-wise; but as a manga the story felt rushed, and I think if they were going to adapt it they should have made it a little longer to allow for just a bit more character development and explanation. (Also, for what is supposed to be an adaptation of a fighting game, the fight scenes in the manga were kinda poorly-drawn. I mean, seriously, a great deal of the time-- unless an actual physical object or body part was involved-- it was fairly difficult to tell what was going on.) Oh well... like I said, it wasn't really bad; it just wasn't great, either. I didn't mind reading it, though.


Vampire Knight (1-11 so far): I'd heard a lot of good things about this series (and I really liked the look of the art, too), so I gave it a try... and I was not disappointed. This series has a fairly unique premise when it comes to vampire stories (it would take up too much space here to do a proper synopsis, but trust me, it's pretty good); the characters are pretty awesome; and there are some fairly complex things going on in the plot, too (on both small and large scales). I also very much like the way the author made a point to include both sides of the vampire coin-- both their modern romanticized side AND their frighteningly powerful and deadly side. (And just on a sidenote, for those who may be concerned about one particular bit of content...) [spoiler]Interestingly, the whole 'incest' angle, which was really the only thing of concern that I could find against the story before I read it, actually didn't bother me once it came to that point. I know that statement might sound kinda weird, but I think the explanation is that I grew up on (and indeed am still a fan of) sci-fi, so I've long been used to characters who look human but are definitely not (and who thus also have different physiology and different rules and codes of conduct that they live by); and combined with the author's success in creating a vampire species that truly fit that description, I guess I just thought of them as I would sci-fi aliens, so their conduct in that area didn't faze me. *shrug* [/spoiler] Anyway, it's another one of my favorites.


La Corda d'Oro (1-12 so far): This is one of the type of stories where the majority of the main cast appear to have romantic feelings for the protagonist, LOL , but it's actually also very much about (classical) music-- particularly violin-- and about discovering the real love of playing an instrument (as well as all the stuff you have to go through if you're going to be really good at it and/or play on stage, etc. etc.). Since I love listening to music (of many kinds), and especially because I am a musician myself (playing several instruments-- and, in fact, one of them is actually the violin!), it turns out that, despite its predictability in terms of the romance , I have a real soft spot for it.


And, finally, I just read Kieli (manga vol. 1 so far), which was quite interesting. The main characters are a girl who sees ghosts (and feels more at home with them than with living humans), a radio possessed by a snarky old soldier, and an attractive Undead guy ... and it has a good, supernatural-sci-fi story, too. Also interesting is the fact that, while you might think that the inevitable relationship that's going to bloom there would point to this being shojo, I actually have no idea which category it should go in, because it's quite violent (pretty much FMA-level, though because of the different art styles it seems just slightly more realistic than FMA's). Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next (and last) manga volume and the following light novels.


So, there you have it! ((/end epically-epic reading report ))

[Atria35]

And, finally, I just read Kieli (manga vol. 1 so far), which was quite interesting. The main characters are a girl who sees ghosts (and feels more at home with them than with living humans), a radio possessed by a snarky old soldier, and an attractive Undead guy ... and it has a good, supernatural-sci-fi story, too. Also interesting is the fact that, while you might think that the inevitable relationship that's going to bloom there would point to this being shojo, I actually have no idea which category it should go in, because it's quite violent (pretty much FMA-level, though because of the different art styles it seems just slightly more realistic than FMA's). Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next (and last) manga volume and the following light novels.

Kieli is 3 volumes long, so don't stop at number 2! You'll miss something big! (I read the manga and then just HAD to get the light novels- Number 4 comes out this April! Woo!

[Nate]

<.<

>.>

So I hear the ending to xxxHolic sucked. :O

[TWWK]

I caught up on the new Genshiken...I'm enjoying it, but this is one of the first times with a manga (or anime) that I've thought, "The ending was perfect. I wish they woulda just ended it there."

[MangaRocks!]

Kieli is 3 volumes long, so don't stop at number 2! You'll miss something big! (I read the manga and then just HAD to get the light novels- Number 4 comes out this April! Woo!

*double-checks Yen Press site*

...Er, it says there's only two...?

But yeah, once I finish the manga, I'm definitely looking forward to the light novels as well!

[Atria35]

*double-checks Yen Press site*

...Er, it says there's only two...?

But yeah, once I finish the manga, I'm definitely looking forward to the light novels as well!

... I forget that in America, there's an occasional habit of renumbering/squashing together volumes. There are 3 volumes in Japan. I read it in Japanese.

[MangaRocks!]

... I forget that in America, there's an occasional habit of renumbering/squashing together volumes. There are 3 volumes in Japan. I read it in Japanese.

Ah! That's good to know. I was a little concerned for a minute there that they had somehow skipped the last one!

[MangaRocks!]

Kieli (manga vol. 2): Aside from just one or two kinda weird-proportioned panels (and yes, I know that's a really minor nitpick there ), this was a great last half of the manga version of the first story, and I can't wait to start reading the light novels (starting from light novel #2) to continue it. In fact-- depending on how that goes, of course-- this is looking like it will end up on my favorites list.


Speaking of, I also just finished Beast Master (complete), which is *definitely* on my favorites list! Short 'n' sweet (literally, with only 2 volumes ), and with a perfect conclusion-- yep, I loved it!
(...Oh, and I just have to say, Leo is adorable! :lol:)

[Sapphire225]

I am nearing the end of the manga Alive! The Final Evolution. It's actually pretty good. Wish the mangaka was still alive to write more manga though.

[Jake]

As much as I love anime, I've never, with one major exception, been able to consistently keep up with manga series. The one exception is Hayate the Combat Butler, the only series I've read more than about 5 volumes of. I'm completely up to date with the volumes released in the US, and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of vol 17 in March (IIRC).

Omamori Himari looks like it could maintain my interest, but we shall see, I suppose. It's only got two volumes on here in the states.

Right now, I'm also trying out Nurarihyon no Mago/Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, K-ON!, and Great Teacher Onizuka (since I found 5 of the first 6 volumes in my local Goodwill). I think K-ON! and Onizuka could maintain my interest long term, especially if I can get my hands on the rest of GTO when the time comes. Amazon is my friend, I suppose (not to mention a local comic book store that sells them).

[ST. Attidude]

I plan on reading the ninth volume of One Piece later today; the story is exponentially more interesting than I thought it would be.

[Atria35]

Even though I've been pressed for time lately, between classes I've managed to read Lovely Complex 12-14. Definitely past where the anime ended, and I'm definitely geared up for the last two volumes!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

One Piece: Vols 7-8

Such an incredible amount of fun. I enjoy this series a lot.

Welcome to the fold, Sanji.

[ecojosh1]

I'm reading The Vanishing of Nagato Yuki-chan. I just found it on Mangafox, and I love it. (It doesn't hurt that I'm a Kyon/Yuki shipper.) It's an adorable slice of life story loosely based on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. The world of the story is like the alternative world Yuki created in Disappearance, except that Kyon has no memory of his past life and Ryouko is good. Instead of fighting aliens and supernatural monsters, our heroes deal with problems like finding a turkey for a Christmas party. And although the world is perfectly ordinary, Haruhi still ends up forming the SOS Brigade.

[Asuka Neko]

I've been reading Love*Com, which is really good if a little random and I read it out of order so I didn't realize one character was NOT a girl until AFTER I read the whole thing. Agh, that was weird.

Oh yeah, and Ultra Maniac, because it's adorable. But I'm not sure if I like it or not yet.

[AngelicTotoro]

I've been reading Tsubasa wo Motsu Mono. (Tsubasa Those with Wings)
It's amazingly good, I'm really loving all the of characters.
(Of course, the militaries obsession with Raimon is a little tiresome, but I really like the Kotobuki x Raimon paring~)

[blkmage]

Lying Mii-kun and Broken Maa-chan is a psychological/mystery manga about two kids who were kidnapped and tortured eight years ago. Now, another kidnapping and serial murder streak is happening. A pretty short and neat read.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I don't read or watch a lot of shojo. But I read a blurb about Basara in an ANN editorial a while back and recently decided to give it a go. I was really, really impressed. Also, surprised. I mean, a dude got decapitated. Apparently shojo ain't no joke.

Basara takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which the landscape (but thankfully not the fashion) of Japan vaguely resembles that of Hokuto no Ken. Earth = desert +a few ruins. Society has sort of evolved into something akin to feudal Japan. Sarasa is our female lead, and she is the twin sister of the boy prophesied to overthrow the tyrannical king and bring peace to Japan; however, circumstances force her into secretly assuming her brother's identity and, thus, carrying the weight of his responsibility. Epic adventure ensues.

It does have what I think of as stereotypical shojo art (read: Rayearth eyes), but it isn't bad.

This one doesn't take long to get going. There isn't a lot of exposition on the front end,as one might expect; rather, the book is pretty good about dropping information in naturally. And it gets to the action fairly quickly, while fostering the feeling that said action is meaningful. There is also a love story.

So, yeah; vol. 1 was quite good.